Let the Games Begin
by neverlands-star
Summary: Prim's name isn't drawn. Instead it's Rory Hawthorne, which results in Gale volunteering for the Games. When Prim's name isn't drawn for female tribute, it turns out to be somebody else...Watch as the two new tributes struggle through the 74th Hunger Games, to live or to die. Gale/OC {REWRITTEN}


Acelin's older brother was gone by the time she woke up.

It was early morning, just before the sunrise. Routine had caused her to wake a little earlier than normal, and despite not being a morning person she was complacent as she climbed from bed to tiptoe around her room. She dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of tan pants, an old long-sleeved shirt, and her favorite pair of comfy, leather boots that were almost wore through at the soles.

When she was fully dressed she pulled the covers of her bed up in a sloppy attempt to make it before slipping out of her room. She slunk down the hall, barely pausing outside her father's door to listen for the sound of light snoring. Once she was assured he was sound asleep she continued on towards the tiny bathroom.

Normally her father was up before they would even think about waking. But today was the reaping day, the only day their father allowed himself to sleep in. It was, after all, one of his only vacations from working in the mines.

Once in the bathroom the girl stared at her reflection for just a split second. With a sigh, she stood on her tiptoes, running her slender fingers along the shelf that sat above the mirror. She pulled a green ribbon down to pull her hair back into a low ponytail, a few tendrils of black locks falling around her face. She quickly exited the bathroom, only pausing to snatch a small bag of money before heading out.

It was as she stepped out onto the empty, blackened streets of the Seam that she realized she probably should have grabbed a jacket for the early morning chill.

Acelin bit down on her lip as she headed the opposite direction from the woods, towards the square where she would find the bakery. Despite the fact that she was always wary when visiting Mr. Mellark on reaping day, her and her brother had continued this tradition for years now.

As she approached the quaint little shop, she pushed the door open to hear the familiar sound of a bell chiming. Her eyes scanned the bakery, the soft pastels obviously a touch added by Mrs. Mellark. However, that wasn't what caught her attention.

It was the fact that Gale Hawthorne was there.

She hastily reminded herself that it didn't matter. She approached the counter as well, staring straight ahead, all the while ignoring the black bag he held in his hands. It was big enough to hold a small animal or so. Acelin was fairly sure the exchange was normally made out back, but honestly, who was there to see at such an hour in the morning?

Mr. Mellark soon appeared from a door that led to the kitchen area. His eyes first alighted on Gale before moving to the much shorter girl at his side. His eyes crinkled at the corners at the sight of the two stoic teenagers who obviously weren't as comfortable with each other as he figured they would be.

"Acelin, Gale."

Acelin offered the older man a smile back as she greeted him with a soft, "Mr. Mellark."

"Same as every year?" Mr. Mellark glanced at the girl first, raising his blonde eyebrows until she nodded. Then he turned to the older boy at her side and asked, "What've you got for me?"

Acelin watched with curiosity as Gale handed the bag over; promptly crossing his arms as Mr. Mellark carefully examined the contents. The older man nodded, a smile crossing his features again as he called out, "Peeta!"

With a nod to the two teenagers and a quick, "We'll have your bread out to you in a few minutes. Go ahead and have a seat." With a small gesture towards the wooden bench that sat against the wall of the bakery, he disappeared back into the kitchen.

A sigh slipped by Acelin's lips. She'd secretly been hoping she wouldn't have had to wait, but it seemed as if she were out of luck. Gale moved away from the counter, leaning against the wall. Acelin snuck a careful glance to the suspicious looking bench before she decided it was safest to remain rooted to her spot. The bench appeared ancient and she didn't like the idea of being stuck with splinters.

Silence fell across the room.

Acelin fidgeted every now and then. The quiet of the room made her nearly uncomfortable. With a quick look to her right, she saw Gale, his gray eyes trained on her while a thoughtful look swam about in them. She quickly averted her gaze, right in time to see Peeta emerge from the kitchen with two loaves of bread in hand.

She accepted the bread without hesitation, her a smile a sign of her thanks. While Peeta handed Gale's bread over, the taller boy swept from the bakery with a muttered thanks.

"Good luck," Peeta finally said, breaking the stillness of the room.

"Thanks." Acelin's smile faltered at nearly forced pleasantry.

Then she followed suit and left the bakery.

Peeta was a nice guy. Acelin had understood that from the moment she had met him. They shared a mutual friend, Nyasia. Her best friend was a social butterfly. In other words, she was the only reason Acelin knew who Peeta even was.

Acelin made her way back towards the Seam. The bread was tucked snugly under her arm, her mind occasionally drifted back to Peeta's words of luck. They were the same words Nya repeated to her every year, knowing she probably needed it. Twenty-four tesserae in the reaping balls, not as much as some others in the Seam, but enough to give her a high enough chance of being reaped.

Don't be so negative Ace. Another year of this and that'll be it.

Her positive thoughts were enough to get her mind off the upcoming reaping as she approached the fence, quickly finding the weak spot so she could squeeze through. Then before she knew it, she was padding along the same path she traveled nearly every day at an even pace. Normally she didn't travel through the woods without her lone dagger, the one she had carried since the young age of eleven.

Her older brother, Ashen, had taught her how to throw daggers-dagger in her case. She had asked about it one day after asking him to teach her how to hunt. While it was true that she couldn't peg bigger animals, like a deer, she could still catch an occasional rabbit or squirrel. His own skills had been rusty, but Ace had caught on rather quickly.

It didn't take long for her to reach their tree. Soon she was reaching a hand up to wrap around one of the lower branches, hoisting herself upwards. She looped her legs around a branch of the tree, adjusting the bread beneath her arm before continuing. She continued upwards, feeling rather silly as she clambered high into the tree.

Soon enough she had settled herself on a branch, one leg carefully tucked beneath her while the other hung in the open air.

"'Bout time you showed up Squirt."

Ace glanced up in annoyance at the boy addressing her. Her older brother was stretched out on a limb a few feet away from her. She immediately reprimanded herself for referring to her older brother as a boy. Often she had to remind herself that he was twenty now, old enough to be considered a man.

And he certainly looked the part.

Ashen smirked at her before returning his gaze to the just now rising sun. Brilliant hues of pink, blue, and orange danced across his face, defining his aristocratic nose, his high cheekbones, and full mouth. He was as every bit as tall as their father, just not as broad-shouldered. He sported a lither frame, but was equal in strength to their dad. His jaw was spotted with dark stubble, indicating that it had been a few days since he'd last bothered to shave.

Ace unwrapped the bread, breaking off a piece to silently hand it over to her older brother. He took it without hesitance, watching as she tore off a piece before herself, saving the rest for their dad.

"How was Mr. Mellark?" Ashen finally questioned, happily chewing away on the delicious bread that was still warm.

"Good I guess. I didn't really talk to him," Ace explained.

She shifted on the branch until she found herself comfortable enough. Then she directed her gaze to the sun peeking above the horizon. It brought a sense of calm and peace to the girl, something she wasn't quite used to. But in just a few hours that peace of mind would be shattered when she would be surrounded by the nervous chattering of children and adults.

"Gale Hawthorne was there, trading game for bread," Ace tossed out when Ashen didn't speak.

Ashen was acquainted with Gale considering the two boys were only two years apart. The two had known each other when Ashen had still been in school. They weren't close, but they knew each other to the point where they would nod in recognition if they saw each other.

"Well, I take it Nya decided not to come out." Ashen cracked a smile at his sudden change in subject. He knew if they continued on the track they were, their discussion would eventually lead to the reaping. It was a topic they didn't mind avoiding.

Ace's facial features softened at the mention of Nya. "Probably not. Either too afraid or she got caught sneaking out."

She didn't bother mentioning it was probably the former of the two. Nyasia rarely was caught when she did something sneaky. She was too pretty, too believable, and too sweet to be caught or blamed for doing something that wouldn't typically be allowed.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Ashen murmured.

Nya and Ace were the same age, seventeen, and the complete opposite of each other. It was a wonder that they had ever managed to befriend the other. She was the girl who had nearly every boy vying for her attention, with the exception of Peeta Mellark who she claimed was hung up about Katniss Everdeen. Her mother was a potter, and a kind woman at that. People just generally gravitated towards Nya like a moth to a flame.

"Is it bad that I'm worried?"

Ashen threw a surprised look his sister's way. Her eyes were downcast, almost ashamed at the fact that she had tossed the question out. "No. It's not. You have every right to be worried. Hell Ace, I'd be worried if you weren't even a little concerned."

He sighed. He seemed to have a lot of his mind. Then again, he normally did at this time of a year. Ashen had every right to have a busy mind though. Unlike Ace who tried her best not to mull over the past, Ashen had an awful habit of going through it over and over again, trying to decide what he could have done to change it.

"C'mon Squirt. Let's get back to the house so you can get ready." With that, Ashen was swinging down from the branch he had been occupying, climbing down much more swiftly that Ace could have managed.

With a muttered, "Yay," she followed suit, tucking the remaining bread back beneath her arm. Wrapping her bare, calloused hands against the rough barked limb, she swung down as well. As she'd thought, she moved a much slower pace. She could climb trees all day, but getting down was more of a problem.

Yes, Ace was afraid of a falling.

Heights were generally not much of a problem, it was the idea that she could stumble up and end up tumbling towards the hard ground that bothered her. People could encourage and reassure her all day long, but regardless she would continue as always. Taking it one limb at a time.

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><p><strong><em>AN ~ So as you may or may not notice...this story is in the process of being rewritten. I've recently found that I much prefer writing in third person. Not only that I really feel like I needed to rewrite it, better flesh out Ace as a character, and just...well ya know xD_**

**_So here's the newest chapter. Please review and let me know how it was/what I could improve on/etc. _**

**_:)_**


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